An incentive program to attract out-of-state horses to race in California that has had success over the past four seasons at Del Mar will expand to the entire Southern California racing circuit April 2.

Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux is recovering from five fractured ribs and a bruised lung in Covina, Calif., where he and his wife, Rosie, recently bought a home, according to trainer Bob Hess, a longtime friend.

Merit Man is just a nose short of perfection in four starts for trainer Bob Hess Jr., but the 3-year-old son of With Distinction will have to travel a furlong farther than he has before in the $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes.

Former trainer David Loder, acting for an undisclosed client, topped Tattersalls' Autumn Horses In Training Sale in Newmarket Wednesday when paying 360,000 guineas for 2-year-old Kilworth (Ire), who had finished runner-up in the Royal Lodge Stakes (Eng-II) at Newmarket.

D'Wildcat, a brilliant 10 1/2-length winner of the 7-furlong Swale Stakes in his last start, will stretch out to 1 1/8 miles in the $500,000 Lone Star Derby Apr. 7, trainer Bob Hess told <i>The Blood-Horse</i> Wednesday.